Many bid adieu to ‘fun uncle’ NZ guide

Hundreds of people poured into Whakata¯ne’s Baptist Church yesterday to celebrate the life of White Island tour guide Hayden MarshallInman.

The crowd was encouraged to don sports jerseys with many wearing All Blacks and Chiefs jerseys as well as bright yellow surf-club shirts.

The guide’s brother, Mark Inman, revealed Marshall-Inman was known as the funcle — the fun uncle.

“A moment in time has taken my brother,” he told the crowd, his voice shaking with emotion.

He personally greeted almost everyone who came through the door including Mark Law and his crew from Kahu Helicopters who were involved in rescue efforts after the December 9 eruption. Inman paid tribute to the chopper pilots, calling them the first responders who saved lives.

He also paid tribute to Tipene Maangi — a fellow White Island Tours guide who died — and said Te Wha¯nau-a¯-Apanui iwi would always be in the families’ hearts.

Inman’s emotional speech touched on his brother’s love of his nieces and nephews, and of the Chiefs and All Blacks. He was now the guardian of Whakaari and would be the last man off the island, he said.

Inman’s daughter spoke of the favourite uncle and the adventures they went on. Through tears she said he was fearless, calling him “superman”.

Marshall-Inman’s mother said she would miss her son’s texts saying “I love you” and seeing him walking down her driveway.

The congregation was told he always used to log his trips to White Island. The Monday he died would have been his 1111th trip. At 11.11am there was a minute’s silence.

The 40-year-old’s body has not been found since the eruption on the island which killed 16 people.

Police Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement said this week it was his strong belief his body, along with that of 17-year-old Australian tourist Winona Langford, had been washed off the island and out to sea. The search has been handed over to local authorities.

“As long as there are still people out there looking, it makes a difference,” Mark Inman said.

Whether the two would be recovered was “in the hands of Tangaroa”. “We will leave it for him to decide.”

Meanwhile, two other critically injured Kiwi guides, Kelsey Waghorn and Jake Milbank, are making progress in hospital.

Waghorn, a tour guide with White Island Tours for five years, had burns to 45 per cent of her body.

Sister Rachel Christie wrote that Waghorn was now out of a coma but remained in a critical condition.

She was having surgeries every two to three days for skin grafts and constant monitoring of her burns, according to her Givealittle page.

Milbank, who turned 19 on the day of the eruption, has burns to 80 per cent of his body. He is now reportedly breathing on his own.

British mother Liz McGill, 67, and daughter Heather, 34, have also been named as survivors of the eruption. Ian McGill said his daughter and exwife had been holidaying in New Zealand when White Island blew. The pair have undergone multiple operations in separate hospitals but would likely remain in care “for some time” he said.